Heero Yuy: Lost and Found Again
by Quatre Winner
Summary: Heero has lost his memories of being a gundam pilot. He lives in our world and is basically a normal teen. Until the day the other pilots find him. Now he's caught between his new friends and his own, mysterious past... Discontinued
1. Chapter 1

Yami Quatre: Hey all! I had this fic stored somewhere on my comp so I decided to share!

My muse has taken a vacation, so it's just me here now. I'll have three chaps up immediately, and I'll update afterwards whenever I can. OK? Ok. Good.

For the record, I own nothing except for my Ocs. Anyway, now on with the show! Erm fic. *sweatdrop*

Heero: Blonde gundam pilot wanna-be baka.

Yami: Lookie! I got a muse now! 

Heero: *blank look* Help me!!!!!!

Heero Yuy: Lost and found again

Chapter 1

The dream was always the same. He was a little kid in the hospital where he'd been taken to at the age of nine. The doctors were talking about him. They were saying something about something called "post traumatic stress disorder." The one to the left began explain something that, though the kid didn't understand, it sent ripples of fear down his back.

Then it was on to his foster parents' house, where it had kindly been explained to him that his real parents were nowhere to be found. He ran out crying to the local park.

That much followed on real events. Then came the worst part, the part that always caused him to wake up screaming.

He was in a strange robot, falling endlessly into the abyss of… he never could see where he fell. The last thing he always heard was the same girl yelling his name, and the yell sent a rush of so many emotions that they coalesced into one single emotion: fear. The fear of death. The fear of not being where he was needed the most. 

This time was no different. And he woke up with a strangled cry, the mystery girl's voice ringing in his ears.

"HEERO!!!"

Heero Yuy shook off the dream. No matter how many times it came, it always scared him to death.

He lay back down to sleep again. He couldn't. He never could fall back asleep after that dream. 

Sighing, he dressed and checked the time. Six a.m. "At least it didn't come at three in the morning," he muttered as he fixed himself a bowl of cereal.

He turned on the television in the living room and sat back to see what was on. He flipped through the channels, finally deciding on a stupid anime show that he didn't even know the name of. 

Something touched the back of his neck. He yelled and jumped up, spilling Cheerios all over the living room.

Garrett Larson grinned at his fellow freshman. "Had that dream again, I see."

"I thought I told you not to do that," Heero muttered, starting to clean up the mess. Garrett grabbed a rag and helped. 

"Couldn't help it," Garrett said, still grinning. He dumped the Cheerios in the trash and sat down next to Heero. "I'm right about the dream, ain't I?"

Heero nodded. "What possessed you to get up at six in the morning?" he asked his best friend.

"Getting ready for school," Garrett said. "It starts this week, you know."

"Don't remind me," Heero groaned. In one week he and Garrett would become sophomores at Livonia High School, something he was not looking forward to.

"Kinda have too," Garrett said.

"So why'd you come here?" Heero asked.

"Wanting some company. I'm going into Baton Rouge today to enjoy the last week of summer break," Garrett yawned. "You shouldn't have given me the key to your house, you know."

"You know what they say," Heero said. " 'Misery loves company.'" 

"You coming?" Garrett asked.

Heero stood. "You bet."

At the age of nine years old, Heero had been found by the side of the road somewhere along one of the long highways that led from Point Coupee County to Baton Rouge. A kind person had taken him to the hospital in the town of New Roads, where doctors had explained his memory loss as a symptom of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He'd been given over to the care of a kind couple in Livonia, and for the past seven years he'd lived there without a clue as to who he really was.

Now, at the age of sixteen, he'd given up all hope of ever finding out about his past and lived like a normal teenager. He even had a girlfriend, though it hadn't escalated beyond a kind exchange between classes during the school day. 

Heero gave little thought to his past, though he often found himself staring out the window at the stars when he couldn't sleep. He often thought that his true place was among the stars, though both he and Garrett gave it up to a lingering childhood fantasy.

Heero had plenty of time to dwell on this as they drove to Baton Rouge. He had no doubt that Garrett was aiming for some arcade with the best killing games around.

They wandered from arcade to arcade all day, hooking up with their friends James Nonta and Jill Query. They basically blew all the money they had (and some they didn't) at the arcades, picking pockets when they ran out of quarters. Heero didn't approve of that, so he wisely stayed at the game he was playing until his friends came back with the money.

James leaned back in the backseat of Jill's convertible, propping his feet up on the driver's headrest. "That was a blast," he said.

Heero, riding shotgun, nodded in agreement. "I just wish you guys wouldn't steal," he said. "If you guys get caught, I could be called an accomplice."

"Momentai," Jill said. 

"Momentai yourself," Heero muttered, looking up at the stars. That nagging feeling came again, like there was something he needed to do. He ignored it like always and continued to stare up.

Something caught his eye. Several points of light were moving about in the sky. As he watched, another dot joined the others. The first dots winked out.

"Look," Jill said, pointing somewhere. Heero followed her arm. 

A shooting star streaked quickly towards the Earth. Heero watched, suddenly getting the unexplainable feeling that this wasn't an ordinary shooting star. Once again, it was one of those recurring feelings. He ignored it, like always.

Duo Maxwell opened his eyes. He hadn't been out for more than a minute. He stayed on the floor for a minute to make sure he was okay, then sat up to check on his copilot.

Sally Po was shaking her head to clear away some of the debris that had worked its way into her hair. She saw him and gave a quick thumbs-up. She was okay.

Duo stood up completely, assessing the damage. The small transport that they'd been flying was totaled. He and Sally were stranded.

"Come on," he said. The shuttle was burning, probably about to explode. Sally understood and quickly gathered everything that they'd need.

He sent a quick SOS to anyone who could hear, then abandoned the transport. They made it a quarter mile away before the shuttle exploded in a spectacular fireball.

"So what do we do?" Sally asked. She was making sure that all their forged identification papers were intact.

Duo sat down and flicked on a small GPS. "According to this, we're near a town called New Roads. It'll take a day to get there."

"Then what're we waiting for?" Sally asked, putting her papers away and standing. Duo followed suit.

Duo had plenty of time to think. And, as always, his train of thought always led back to one person. Heero.

Right after the incident in AC 196, someone had tried to take advantage of the gundams' destruction and had attempted to seize control of the Earth Sphere Unified Nations. Fortunately, Quatre Winner had had the foresight to see it coming and had rebuilt the gundams. The war had been carried on in secret. The public hadn't even known about it.

Then came the mission that not even the Perfect Soldier could complete. Wing Zero had been shot down while flying over the Earth. No sign of Heero had ever been recovered. It had driven Relena Peacecraft crazy with grief. That had been over six months ago.

Then the discovery of a portal to another Earth, an alternate Earth. The war had been moved to the orbit of this planet. The new enemy, SAM, had moved to take control of this Earth, infiltrating the highest levels of government in the most powerful countries in the world. The gundam pilots were struggling to stop them.

Duo was jerked out of his reverie by headlights along the road they were following. A small jeep pulled over beside them.

A kid Duos' age scrutinized them. At last he said, "Need a ride?"

"Yes," Sally said. "Our car broke down a while back and we've been walking for hours." They'd been briefed by the scouts they'd sent to this Earth, so they knew that this common problem wouldn't arouse many questions.

The kid stared at them a moment longer before motioning for them to get in. They did, gratefully. 

"I'm Sally," Sally said. "My friend's Duo."

"I'm Garrett," the driver said. "Where're you headed?"

"New Roads," Duo said.

Garrett chuckled. "You're going the wrong way for that. You can crash with me tonight. My parents aren't home." 

_That'll be good_, Duo thought with a giant yawn.

Heero woke up the next morning at eight. He dressed and wandered around the house. His foster parents had gone on vacation and he was alone in the house.

He turned on the TV, tuning in to Jerry Springer and watching two couples beat the crap out of each other.

He heard the front door open and was not surprised when Garrett tried to scare him into spilling his breakfast again. Instead, Heero purposely dumped what remained in his bowl over Garrett's head.

After the mock fight that ensued, they were catching their breath on the couch while watching a love triangle on Springer turn into a love war.

"I picked up two really strange people on my way home yesterday," Garrett said. "I kinda left 'em in my jeep."

"We going into town today?" Heero asked. 

"Yeah. The two I picked up seem okay." Garrett stood, nursing his right arm, where Heero had twisted it before Garrett had cried out for mercy.

Duo lounged in the front seat of Garrett's jeep while waiting for him to come out. Sally was right behind him, reading over the protocol for the situation they were in.

"What's taking him so long?" Duo asked.

"Maybe his friend was asleep and he had to wake him up," Sally suggested. "Wait, here they come now."

Garrett walked up to the jeep. "He'll be out in a minute," he said. "So where exactly do you need to go?"

"Our house is in New Roads," Duo said. It wasn't exactly a lie. Quatre had bought houses in just about every state just in case anyone needed to hide out for a while. And one house happened to be in New Roads.

"So, you need to get there any time soon?" Garrett asked.

"Not especially," Duo said. "Why?"

The car door slammed. Duo jumped, not having noticed anyone come out of the house. 

"Duo Maxwell," Garrett said formally, "Heero Yuy."

Like it? Well, then, write me and say so. And if you want to know what happens, please tell me so I can turn my attention to this fic and not any of the half-dozen others I started. And I write crossovers! If you want me to write a certain crossover, I'll be glad to *evil grin* Sayonara until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Yami: Enjoy the last chappie? 

Heero: Hn.

Yami: C'mon, Hee-chan, if you're gonna be my muse you've got to a least talk a little.

Heero: Hn.

Yami: *shrug* You're a wet blanket, you know that?

Kai: Miss me?

Yami: Kai!!!! *smothers with hugs*

Heero: Now that he's here, I can leave.

Yami & Kai: No you don't!

Kai: Now she can torture someone else.

Yami: You don't get to leave until you do the disclaimer!

Heero: Yami doesn't own anything. Period.

Yami: *ties Heero to a chair* ha! Now you gotta stay!

Heero: Help!

Chapter 2

Sally couldn't believe it. She stared, opened mouth, at the teen that had caused so much pain for everyone.

Duo nudged her sharply. She shut her mouth but continued to stare. 

"Nice to meet you," Heero said. He looked at her questioningly. 

She snapped out of it. "Sally Po," she said, extending her hand. Heero shook it, then turned to Garrett. 

"Shall we be off, then?" he asked. Garrett revved the engine, then sped down the road.

Heero shot sideways glances at Sally often throughout the half-hour drive. She'd reacted strangely when she'd heard his name, and he wanted to know why. He didn't want to seem rude, though. The girl would probably say something about it soon enough.

They pulled up outside one of the malls in Baton Rouge. James and Jill were waiting for them.

Duo seemed a little surprised about where they went to next. The arcade in the mall. After a minute, he grinned happily and proceeded to play Heero at a shooting game.

Heero studied Duo out of the corner of his eye as they played. Duo was a rather good shot, almost better than Heero himself.

The kid seemed normal enough, but this little voice inside his brain told him that Duo wasn't someone to be trusted.

They ran through their supply of quarters quickly. Garrett and James went off somewhere and came back with a fistful of five-dollar bills.

Heero stared at them with his usual disapproval, but accepted his share of the quarters without complaint. 

'They stole those, didn't they?" Duo asked him as they played. Heero nodded, which made Duo grin. "These are my kind of people!" He died in the game, cursed, and went over to race Jill. Sally took his spot.

"Sorry I stared at you this morning," she said. "You looked like someone I knew a while ago."

"It's okay," Heero said, concentrating on the game. He was surprised with Sally's skill. She was as good as Duo, maybe better.

"So how long have you known Garrett?" Sally asked.

"Almost seven years," Heero replied. "I don't know what I would have done without him."

"You sound like something bad happened," Sally said.

"The only problem is that I can't remember what happened," Heero said. "But there's this weird dream I always keep having, and I can't help but think that it's relevant somehow."

He explained the dream to her. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, just concentrated on shooting the virtual bad guys. After a while she said, "And you have no idea what it means?" 

"_Nada_," Heero said. "But it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that I'm here right now, instead of dead in whatever accident happened to me ages ago." He shot the last alien monster, beating the game. He went off to find another game to beat.

Sally stared after him, carefully considering her options.

Garrett pulled up outside the house Duo pointed to, screeching to a halt. Sally and Duo jumped out. 

"Thanks," Duo said. "I don't know we can to thank you."

"It was nothing," Garrett said. "Did you guys just move here?" 

Sally nodded quickly. "Duo'll be going to your school this year." She poked him. "Right?"

"Yeah." Duo grabbed their stuff out of the trunk. He waved as Garrett pulled out.

"Duo, we have a problem," Sally said.

Heero got out of Jill's convertible. By the looks of it, his foster parents had come home.

"See you at school," he said. They waved and pulled out.

Heero said hi to his foster parents and went into his room. He opened the blinds and stared up at the sky.

It was night now, and the stars were shining brighter than ever. He continued to watch them, wishing, like always, that he could be among them.

A dark shape passed over the crescent moon. Heero watched it curiously. It didn't have any blinking light, so it couldn't have been an airplane. And it was large, which meant that it couldn't even be human. 

Heero grabbed his camera and snapped a few photos. "Wait'll I show Garrett," he said.

Duo sat outside, ignoring the mosquitoes and waiting for the transport that Quatre had sent to pick them up. Sally was inside the house, doing some odd thing or other that Duo could care less about.

The transport landed swiftly, kicking up a hot breeze. Duo stood and waited for the pilot to come out.

Trowa Barton stepped out of the undoubtedly hot cockpit and removed his flight helmet. "You two all right?" he asked.

Duo nodded. "But you'd better sit down for this." Trowa just stood, waiting patiently. "We found Heero."

Trowa's eyes widened visibly and he fell into a chair that was right behind him. He remained in shocked silence for a minute before snapping out of it and asking, "How?"

"A chance encounter," Duo said. "Sally was able to talk to him. According to her, Heero said he's been here for several years."

"Impossible," Trowa said. "He went missing just last year."

"We have to find out more about it," Duo said. "Sally already said I'd be going to the school here."

"Then I guess that matter's settled," Trowa said. "So, shall I leave you here?"

"You crazy?" Duo asked. "I think you'd enjoy it too much."

Heero: Help! I'm OOC!

Yami: Duh. 

Kai: This is actually fun *pokes Heero in the ribs*

Heero: *is tied up and can't move* review and tell her to let me go please!


	3. Chapter 3

Yami: Nothing much to say here. The only reason why I picked the particular sport that they play in this chapter is my mother was watching the US Open when I wrote this. 

Heero: She has me playing tennis.

Kai: That's a wimp's sport

Yami: Behave you two!

Heero & Kai: But it is!

Yami: *rolls eyes* I don't own anything.

Chapter Three

The last few days of summer passed swiftly, and before he knew it Heero was back at the school on the first day, standing around in the gym watching for Garrett.

Someone poked him in the back. Heero turned to see Duo, dressed in the school uniform of khaki pants and green Oxford shirt. "How do I look?" Duo asked with a grin.

"Like an idiot," Heero said. Duo only grinned wider.

"So what exactly do we do here?" Duo asked. 

"We wait for them to give us our class schedules," Heero said, peering over the tops of peoples' heads to look for Garrett. 

"Oh," Duo said. He sat down on the floor to wait. 

Garrett pushed his way through the crowd of people towards them. "Imprisoned for another year," he said sadly. He looked around. "Where's James and Jill?" he asked. 

"They're juniors this year," Heero said, pointing over to where the juniors were waiting.

"Guess we'll talk to them at lunch," Garrett said. He noticed Duo on the floor. "How you doing?"

"Just fine," Duo said. "Sally has a job as a doctor at the hospital, and I'm rather bored."

"Join the club," Heero muttered, spotting a teacher making his way towards the sophomores. "Schedules're over there," he said, pointing to the winded teacher. "I hope one of you are in my classes," he said.

The end of the day bell was received gladly by many of the students. James, Jill, Heero, Duo, and Garrett wandered around the school after everyone else had left. 

"Anyone feel like playing a game or something?" Duo asked.

"Let's go to an amusement park or something," Heero said.

There were no amusement parks in the area. They settled on playing tennis, except for Jill, who called it a wimpy sport.

Heero wasn't a bad tennis player, and, partnered with Garrett, they were a tough pair to beat. They were playing best out of three sets, and Heero had taken the first set. 

Duo served the ball. It was a wild one, but Heero went for it anyway. He tripped, twisting his ankle badly.

"Crap," he said, feeling it carefully. "I think it's broken."

"That's why we don't usually play a sport," James said. "We even find ways to hurt ourselves in golf."

"It's not my fault that Heero hit me over the head with a nine-iron," Garrett protested. "Besides, that was years ago."

"Last year," Heero said.

"Same difference," Garrett said. "I knew we should've gone skateboarding."

Duo offered Heero his arm, and Heero stood, leaning on Duo for support.

"It's definitely sprained," Heero said, limping towards Garrett's jeep.

Sally looked amusedly at Heero and Duo. "A tennis accident?" she asked.

"Duo was the one who hit the ball," Heero muttered.

"You were the one who went after it," Duo pointed out.

Sally grinned and looked at the X-rays she held. "Well, your ankle isn't exactly broken," she said. "It's just a small fracture. It'll heal in a few weeks."

"Do I need a cast or anything?" Heero asked.

"No. Just let me take care of it." Sally set the X-rays aside and went to work.

Duo dropped his stuff on the couch and sat down. Sally stared at him curiously. 

"How'd your day go after the tennis mishap?" she asked.

"We hung around arcades again," Duo sighed. "It's hard acting normal around Heero. He isn't the same."

"Well, no one seems to know where he came from around here," Sally said. "He just popped up by the side of the road one day without any warning. According to his records, they attributed his memory loss to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

"It's all Greek to me," Duo said.

"Sometimes people have mental breakdowns after a traumatic incident," Sally explained. "Sometimes they even block the memory of what happened from their mind."

Duo snorted. "Heero's too stubborn for that."

"It's the most likely explanation," Sally said.

"So what're we going to do?"

"Sometime people with PTSD regain their memory after a few years," Sally said. "That's the only thing we can hope for."

After a few weeks, Heero was finally able to lose the crutches he'd needed to walk. Sally had proclaimed completely healed.

They were celebrating by hanging around a skateboarding park. Jill and Garrett were ripping up a half-pipe while Duo, James, and Heero watched.

"How well do you know how to skate?" Duo asked Heero.

"Well enough," Heero said. "You?"

"Not at all," Duo said. 

"Then you better stay on the ground," James advised. "We wouldn't want to take you to the emergency room, now would we?"

Garrett came down. Heero went up, secured his helmet, and began pulling tricks that rivaled Garrett's.

Garrett grinned. "He's a show-off," he said.

"How long has he been skating?" Duo asked curiously.

"We took it up about four years ago," Garrett said. "He was a natural."

"Like shooting?" Duo asked.

"We always wondered how he could be so good at those virtual shooting games," Garrett asked. "You have any ideas?"

_Several_, Duo thought to himself. "No," he said aloud.

Christmas break came with no sign of any trouble from SAM. Duo stayed around for the entire break, keeping contact with his fellow gundam pilots with a specially modified cell phone.

Heero and Garrett, along with a few other friends, threw a Christmas party for everyone at the school. Duo understood that they did this every year, which was why they were popular at the school.

Then school resumed as usual. Quatre and Trowa showed up one day at the school got reacquainted with Heero.

They were at lunch one day when James got the idea of skipping the rest of the day and going to a concert for a band they really liked. Heero politely refused.

"Your loss," James said, getting up and following Garrett and Jill out of the lunchroom.

Duo, Quatre, and Trowa hadn't showed up at school that day. Heero sighed as he went to class. With Garrett gone, his fourth hour class would be a bore.

The biology teacher was busy trying to explain something to class. Heero, having read ahead in his biology book the night before, tuned the teacher out.

"Mr. Yuy!" his teacher said.

Heero jumped. "Yes?"

"Did you just hear the question I asked you?" 

"No," Heero said.

Before the teacher could begin yelling at him, the PA came on. "Mr. and Mrs. Dangerfield, please report to the office."

"What's that mean?" a student asked.

"Shut and lock the door," the teacher directed. "And shut off the lights. There's an armed intruder in the building."

The kids got underneath their desks. Heero followed suit, wondering what was going on.

Two people dressed in what looked like military dress uniforms burst into the room. One of them swung his weapon around to cover everyone.

"We're looking for Heero Yuy," the second one said.

Heero's heart froze. He crouched lower, ready to make a break for the lab if he had too. It was a good thing he chose seats towards the back of the classroom.

No one answered the soldier. "Does anyone know where he might be?" the second soldier asked.

Again, no answer. The first soldier began walking down the line of desks, checking under each one to see who was under it. Heero tensed, ready to bolt. 

The soldier stopped by his desk. Heero lashed out, tripping the soldier. He grabbed the gun and aimed it at the other soldier.

Everyone in the classroom cowered beneath their desks as Heero backed out of the classroom, gun still pointed at the soldier. When he cleared the door to the lab, he slammed it shut and locked it, running for the door to the outside. He heard the door slam open and ran faster, sprinting for someplace he could hide.

He rounded the corner of the school building, then yelled wildly as someone grabbed him from behind. The unknown person clamped his hand over Heero's mouth, preventing him from making any noise.

Heero saw the soldier run by, then felt himself being pulled up to the roof of the school building. He was then let go.

Yami: Is this a cliffie?

Heero & Kai: Hn.

Yami: Kai! You're not doing it too!

Kai: Hn.

Yami: Reviewers! Kai's acting like a wet blanket! Help me dry them out! The only you can help is to REVIEW!


	4. Chapter 4

Yami: I got the wet blankets dried up.

Kai: No, you got us wet!

Heero: *wipes water from his eyes* where's that hose?

Yami: I have it. And unless you two behave, I'll spray you again!

Heero: I have been through hell, so what's water to me? *leaps at Yami and grapples for the hose*

Kai: They'll be at it for a while. Yami Quatre does not own anything. Not even us. She only owns SAM and her OCs. 

Chapter 4

Milliardo Peacecraft, aka Zechs Merquise, let go of Heero and began checking to see if anyone had seen them. Heero whirled around to confront him.

"Who are you?" Heero asked. 

"A friend," Milliardo replied, pulling Heero to the ground as a soldier walked beneath them.

"Think I believe that?" Heero asked. 

"Not really," Milliardo said. He pulled out a police radio and turned eat on, putting on a set of earphones. Heero inched away, ready to make a run for it. He didn't know who to trust, the soldiers or this mysterious man.

Milliardo put the police radio away. "Your officers have sent for backup. This should be over shortly."

"Why should I believe you?" Heero asked. 

"Because it's either me, who just wants to protect you, or those soldiers, who're probably going to kill you," Milliardo said.

Heero considered. "Good point. But that doesn't mean I trust you." 

"Didn't expect it to," Milliardo said.

Two hours later, the police still hadn't showed up. Heero was beginning to think that Milliardo was the real enemy. 

A soldier climbed up on the roof. He shouted for backup and raised his weapon. Milliardo pulled out a gun and shot the unfortunate man.

Heero had had enough. He ran towards the general direction of the cafeteria, stopping when he saw a soldier coming towards him.

An enemy in front.  A potential enemy behind him. There was nowhere to go. 

Heero looked around for options. He could jump off the roof and try to make his escape to the police waiting in the parking lot, or he could run back to the man who could be his enemy. Or he could allow himself to be caught by the soldiers.

After only a moment's consideration, he jumped off the roof, taking everyone completely by surprise. He landed running, dashing towards the police waiting for him.

He heard a gunshots, didn't think anything of it. He ran straight into the arms of Sally Po, who had come along with the paramedics in case anyone got hurt. His foster parents had also come since they'd heard of Heero running from his classroom, which everyone had seen.

He sat in the back of an ambulance, watching the end of the standoff. As the soldiers retreated, he noticed Milliardo make a sign with his hand. He looked around to see who it was directed at. He saw Sally make a sign in return, then go back to checking on a police officer who'd been injured when the soldiers opened fire after Heero had run towards them. He then remembered that two shots had been fired, not one. 

_What happened to the other bullet_? he wondered to himself as he watched everything. He felt something on his back. Frowning, he reached back, felt something wet. When he looked at his fingers, he saw red. Blood.

"So that's where it went," he said before passing out.

Quatre looked up from his computer screen as Sally walked in the door. "Saw what happened," he said. "Any casualties?"

"Two injuries to our side," Sally said, sitting on the couch. "A police officer and Heero."

"How?" Quatre asked.

"They shot him in the back when he escaped," Sally said. "Didn't even know until he passed out in the ambulance."

"How is he?" Quatre asked.

"Alive," Sally said. "Really angry at just about everyone, but he'll be okay."

"We really need him back in the fight," Quatre said. "Is there any hope of him remembering?"

"Don't think so," Sally sighed. "The real problem we need to solve is how he could have been here for seven years when he's only been missing for one."

"I have a theory," Quatre said. "The portal that we came through was probably the same portal Heero came through, but when he went through it was really unstable so, not only did it send him here, it kinda reversed time, making him a little kid with a little kid's mentality. The memories of his other life probably overloaded his little kids' mind, causing his brain to erase the memories to protect himself. And so we have Heero like he is today. But like I said, it's just a theory."

"Better than mine," Sally said. "I gotta go back in to the hospital. See you later." She left again.

After a month, Heero was ready to go back to school again. So he went home one night and just showed up at the school again without telling Garrett, James, or Jill. He startled them at breakfast.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" he asked.

Garrett squirted chocolate milk out of his nose. Jill and James spilled their cereal everywhere.

"When did you get out of the hospital?" Garrett asked.

"Yesterday," Heero said. "Wanna go to the skate park?"

"Sure, later," Garrett said. "But you have a load of work to do."

Heero scowled. "I wish you hadn't reminded me."

"Sorry, dude, it's my job as your best friend," Garrett said with a small grin.

The bell rang then, saving Garrett from Heero's wrath. All four of them picked up their books and went to their respective classes. And it was only then that Heero learned that Quatre, Trowa, and Duo had transferred out of the school.

There was no time to wonder about that, though. Heero was caught up in the flood of homework that had accumulated over his absence. It was enough to keep anyone busy for days on end.

One day two weeks later he just threw his work against the wall, annoyed at all the chemical equations, algebra problems, and everything else that he'd been doing.

Garrett, who'd been over helping him, looked up from his own work, a little startled. "Brain getting fried?" he asked.

"Most definitely," Heero muttered. "I need to do something."

"There's a baseball game going on at the field at school," Garrett suggested.

"Anything but this," Heero said. "Get outta my room and I'll change clothes."

Garrett did so and a few minutes later they were at the school baseball field. Luckily, the game had just ended and they were able to get on teams for the next one.

Heero was the first one up to bat. He hit a home run. After that, there wasn't much to do until his turn in the outfield. So he studied for the test the next day.

His team got three outs pretty quickly, so he was in the outfield almost immediately after his home run. He was easily the best player on his team, and Garrett was easily the best on the other team.

Quatre studied the map of Louisiana, looking for an ideal place for an underground base. The choices weren't promising. 

Something on another screen caught his eye. He looked at it, curious. It was the tap they had on enemy communications. 

"That's not a god thing," he said, hitting the comm button.

The baseball game was getting to be against two people: Heero and Garrett. A few other kids had joined, though, and Heero and Garrett soon found they had competition.

Heero had just caught a fly ball when he heard something very odd. He tossed the ball into the pitcher and just stood there listening.

It was a very high-pitched whine, so high that it was almost inaudible as it reached into the supersonic range. It didn't seem to bother anyone else, and Heero turned back to the game as another fly ball was hit in his direction.

A sudden change in the pitch of the whine caused him to miss the ball. Something was nagging at the back of his mind, something that refused to be pushed away. It was strange, like a memory trying to surface again. But there was one clear thing about it: the whine had to be avoided at all costs.

It didn't make sense. But the feeling was clear. And, being as incomprehensible as ever, Heero chose to ignore it. Probably a phantom from his unknown past trying to spook him, he decided.

Then a shadow fell over the field.

"Knew we shouldn't have left," Duo said as they sprinted towards the hangar.

"You're the one who wanted to leave," Quatre pointed out.

They boarded their gundams and took off.

Heero froze as the shadow descended. Without knowing why, he knew they were after him.

There was a ground-shaking thump as something hit the ground in the adjacent football field. Heero unfroze and turned to see what it was.

One of the giant robots from his dream towered above them. It was pointing a very-lethal looking weapon at Heero.

"Heero Yuy," a voice boomed. "You are under arrest for crimes committed against the Supreme Authority Militia. Any attempt to escape will result in your death. Any resistance will result in your death. You are to stay where you are until apprehended. Any interference by your friends will result in their deaths."

Yami: You'll regret that, Heero.

Heero: I have the hose now! 

Kai: Just watch where you point it.

Heero: *sprays Kai*

Yami: Cool! Another fight!

Heero & Kai: *Fighting for control of the hose*

Yami: *pulls out another hose, grinning wickedly* Review while I put these two in their places! *joins water fight*


	5. Chapter Five

Yami: Sorry it's been a few days. My internet has been acting up.

Kai: Heero did it.

Heero: You dared me to!

Yami: *sends both to shadow realm* Grr.

Hikari: Quiet! I'm working on my own fics!

Yami: And what will you do if I don't be quiet, Quat? 

Hikari: *sends Yami to shadow realm* There. Now I can have some peace and quiet! Oh, btw, Yami doesn't own anything. I'll have her back for the next chappie, dun worry.

Chapter Five

The people in the baseball field slowly edged away from Heero. Only Garrett stayed by him. "What's going on?" Garrett asked.

"I dunno," Heero said. He shouted up to the robot, "Who are you? What do you want?"

The robot didn't answer. Without warning another robot, different from the first, flew by and destroyed the first one. With only a second glance at Heero, it flew up into he sky.

"That was a close one," Quatre said as they landed in their lunar base.

"Is there any hope of him remembering?" Duo asked. "It's kinda weird. You know, having him alive but unable to fight."

"We could try something," Quatre said. "I've been working on a plan for awhile. It's almost ready."

"Cool. Now I'm just gonna get some sleep."

Heero cut school for the first time in his life the next day. Garrett joined him in Baton Rouge. They drove around all day speculating on what the giant robot could have been.

"Maybe aliens are finally taking over and you did something they don't like?" Garrett suggested. 

"I don't think so," Heero said. "It could have been people from the future. Maybe they think I'll do something bad sometime soon."

"You get any closer and you'll have to pay rent," someone said behind them in the car. Heero spun around to see Duo there, grinning. 

"What the he- Duo!" Heero yelled. "Don't do that ever again!"

"Sorry," Duo said. "Couldn't resist."

"How'd you get in here?" Garrett asked. "We're moving!"

"Snuck in. So what?" Duo seemed to force his grin away. "But now on to business. Heero, what do you know about what happened to you seven years ago?"

Heero frowned. "I don't know. I always assumed it was a car crash that made me lose my memory or something. But I've always had this weird dream. I was falling, and there was someone calling my name. And I always feel the same way: afraid."

Duo listened silently for a moment. The he said, after Heero finished, "Watch this tonight when you have a chance to be alone. Then email me." He handed Heero a DVD. Then, grin back in place, he said, "So what's for lunch?"

Heero wandered around his room late that night. The DVD was ready to play at the touch of a button, but fear was stopping him from pushing play. What was on there? Would it be a joke? Or his past?

There was a knock on his bedroom window. Startled, Heero knocked over his glass of root beer he'd been reaching for. 

"Who is it?" he whispered.

"Me," Garrett whispered back. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Heero replied, moving away from the window so Garrett could climb in.

"Have you watched the tape yet?" Garrett asked.

"No," Heero said. He stared at the blue screen. "Haven't worked up the courage."

Garrett thought a moment, then stole the remote and pushed "play". "Better now than never."

Several options appeared. _Pilot Stats. Video Options. _Heero selected video options. More selections appeared. _Single angle. Multi angle. Multi angle split screen. _Heero selected split screen.

The screen became divided into quarters. A different scene played in each.

The top left one showed a battle in space. Robots like the ones from Heero's dreams dashed around, destroying each other and everything in their path.

The top right screen showed a close up of a section of the battlefield. Five robots similar to the one that had destroyed the robot from the football field were wreaking havoc on the battlefield.

The bottom left screen showed a television broadcast. The broadcast was in another language, so English captions were on the screen also.

The bottom right screen showed a room with a lot of people at computers and the like. There was audio for that screen, and what it said was confusing.

"Heero, there're two suits coming up behind you!" The girl he heard yelling in his dreams was leaning over a nearby screen.

"Roger that," Heero heard his voice say. One of the robots, the one with wings, darted down to avoid the robots behind it. 

"Heero, watch it! They have a buster rifle!" Duo's voice sounded strained.

"I'll take care of it." 

A beam of energy ripped through the screen. Dozens of robots were destroyed. The one with wings survived, though it drifted towards the pale sphere hovering below it. The Earth, as seen from space.

"Heero, eject!" The girl from his dreams was pushing buttons frantically. "Heero, can you hear me?" 

The winged robot entered the atmosphere, then vanished in a burst of light.

"HEERO!!!!"

The girl pounded on the console in front of her, sobbing. A man Heero recognized as the one who'd saved him comforted the girl as best as he could.

"He's dead, Relena, he's dead."

"He can't be, Milliardo, he can't be!"

Heero watched the unfolding scene with growing unease. It was an elaborate fake. It had to be.

Quatre's voice resounded through the silent room.

"Relena, I'm sorry. There's nothing left of the Wing Zero."

The screen was then filled with the profile of a different newsman, this time speaking English.

"We here at the newsroom regret to inform you of the death of Heero Yuy, hero of the Eve wars. He was killed in action when the Preventers engaged a rogue transport carrying mobile suits. The entire ESUN mourns his passing, and wishes his friends good luck in their fight to keep us free and safe."

Duo's visage replaced the newsman's. "You see? This was you. You were a hero. Ever wonder why you were so good with weapons, whether real or fake? This is why. You were a soldier in the fight for freedom, and had never been beaten. We all thought you were dead. But now we see that you aren't. I hope that this footage jogged our memories, because we don't know how else to get you back. We _need_ you, Heero. The Earth Sphere needs you. To contact me, write to the email address in my bio folder. Check your stats too, while you're at it."

The screen went back to the menu. Heero looked through the stats page. Writing down the email address, he ran for the computer.

Duo was just settling down to sleep when his laptop beeped, indicating he had mail. With a sigh, he sat up and opened the laptop.

"Duo, I'm not saying I believe you, but that DVD of yours explains a lot of things. Please send me instructions as to how to meet you."

Duo grinned. Now if only they could reach him before SAM did.

Heero sat back from the computer after sending the email, lost in his thought. What if the DVD told the truth? What would become of him if it was?

The front door crashed open. Heero shot out of the chair as soldiers burst into the room.

"Heero Yuy, for the crime of consorting with traitors to the Supreme Authority Militia, you are sentenced to death. However, taking recent circumstances into account, your life may be spared if you and your friend agree to come with us now. If you do not agree, you will be shot. Understand?"

"Completely," Heero said. "I will go with you."

"And I go where Heero goes," Garrett added.

"Very well." The leader motioned them forward. "Our vehicle is outside. You go first."

Heero went outside to find a spaceship in his driveway. At least, he was sure it was a spaceship. Soldiers waited along the entrance ramp, armed and alert. There was no chance of escape. Garrett glanced uncertainly at him. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"It's better than being dead."

They boarded, and the ship took off.

"Damn!"

"What is it?" Quatre looked up from his game of solitaire.

"They got to Heero first!"

"That's bad," Trowa said.

Duo snorted. "Damn straight!"

"They'll try to brainwash him next," Wufei said from his corner. "Didn't I tell you that we should have kidnapped him first?"

"He'd have just turned against us," Trowa said.

"Understandably so," Quatre added.

"So what do we do?" Duo asked impatiently.

"We get to work hacking SAM databases and finding Heero's location. Then we rescue him and undo the brainwashing," Quatre stated simply.

"And if we can't undo the brainwashing?"

"We brainwash him ourselves."

Duo turned to the computer and began to work his way past security. Quatre went back to playing solitaire while Wufei just sat in his corner, apparently asleep. Trowa started hacking, too, and soon the room was filled with typing.

Yami: Grr. It took all of my energy keeping that Dark Magician from under my skirts. If I wore skirts.

Kai: Serves you right.

Heero: My sentiments exactly.

Yami: So you all met my Hikari, Quat. That's short for Quatre. She has a temper, ne?

Kai: So do you.

Heero: *typing on laptop*

Quat: Who stole my laptop!?

Heero: *oblivious to everything*

Yami: HEERO! 

Heero: Nani?

Yami: Give back Quat's laptop!

Heero: You're no fun. *gives back the laptop*

Quat: Thanks. 

Heero: Why do I stay here?

Yami: Why you little- *starts shooting at Heero. *

Heero: *returns fire*

Kai: *sigh* Review, please.


	6. Chapter 6

Yami: Once again, sorry it's been a while. Between my Internet acting up, my mother, pure laziness on my part, and watching the Animatrix, I've been busy. If you call being lazy busy.

Quat: Actually, I've been busy on a fic of my own and she hasn't had a chance to work on hers.

Yami: Where are those muses of mine, anyway?

Kai: Damn. Can't even sneak out without her noticing.

Heero: You're not the one she's writing about.

Kai: Good point.

Yami: He's already starred in his own fic.

Quat: Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a fic to work on.

Yami: Well, you're already in mine! Why work on yours?

Quat: I am not a muse.

Kai and Heero: Neither are we!

Yami: Party poopers.

Heero: What party?

Yami: *irritated* I'm glad I don't own you guys. I'm only sad I don't own Gundam Wing.

Heero: I'm happy. She doesn't own me!

Kai: You don't own me either!

Quat: Uh Oh. Yami's about to go haywire. Bye!

Chapter Six

Heero paced nervously around his cell. He was alone. He didn't even have Garrett to keep him company. They'd put him in a different cell. 

The cell door opened suddenly. Heero shut his eyes against the sudden onslaught of light. 

"What do you want?" he asked.

"No talking. Get up and move."

Heero stood up, opening his eyes. Two soldiers had their weapons trained on him. A third man was holding a clipboard and looking very bored. "Heero Yuy?"

Heero was tempted to say something along the lines of  "No duh" but refrained. He didn't want to get shot.

"Yes?"

"Follow me, please."

Heero exited the cell and followed the man to a room. A chair was set up. A man in a white lab coat was arranging a bunch of needles on a nearby tray.

"Sit down."

Heero sat down in the large chair. It reminded him of a chair in the dentist's office. He was bound tightly to the chair. 

"What are you doing?" Heero demanded.

"Calm down, Heero," the doctor said calmly.

"I will not. What the hell are you going to do?"

"You will find out."

The doctor picked up a needle. Heero stared at it warily, struggling against his bonds. They held. The doctor plunged the needle into his upper arm.

The drug took effect immediately. Heero grew drowsy. He couldn't struggle anymore. He lay limply in the chair as the doctor took his pulse.

"Good. Inform the commander that we can proceed."

Garrett stared at Heero from the observation room adjacent to the other. "What are you doing to him?" he demanded.

"He's been brainwashed by our common enemy, the gundam pilots," the commander explained. "We must undo the programming."

Garrett glanced back at the soldier guarding him. "So what will you do with me?"

"We'll train you to help us defeat the gundam pilots if you wish. Or you can remain a civilian."

"I want to go home."

"That's not an option, I'm afraid."

Garrett turned back to Heero. The doctor was hooking him up to an IV. "I don't believe you. I think you're the ones brainwashing him."

The soldier stepped forward, weapon raised. Garrett lashed out, striking the man in the groin. Grabbing the fallen weapon, he turned to the commander. 

"Free Heero," he said. "Or I'll shoot."

The commander laughed. "You'll make an excellent soldier!" he exclaimed. More soldiers burst into the room. Garrett wasn't sure who to aim at, the soldiers or the commander.

"Decisions, decisions," the commander taunted. "How about this? Drop the weapon or Heero dies."

Garrett looked back at his friend. A soldier had a weapon to his head.

"Well, you can't blame me for trying, can you?" Garrett shrugged helplessly and handed over the weapon.

The soldiers grabbed him roughly and shoved him out of the room. "He's to be brainwashed as well," the commander ordered.

Heero watched the scene through dull eyes. His memory was rapidly slipping away, but he could still remember his friend.

_Way to go, Garrett. Show them that you're prepared to fight. Warn the gundam pilots, somehow…_

He struggled to retain that single memory. Garrett. No matter what happened, he wanted to always keep their friendship.

The doctor stared at his monitor. His subject was fighting the drug admirably. 

"Increase the dosage," he ordered.

An assistant increased the IV flow. The bag was almost empty.

"No one has ever been able to resist after one bag," he murmured. "Maybe the legendary Heero Yuy will prove otherwise."

Duo stared at his screen. He'd long since stopped reading what was scrolling down it. Around him, the other pilots were in a similar condition.

"No mention of Heero," Quatre said, barely audible.

"I need sleep," Duo muttered.

Wufei was asleep. Trowa was staring off into space.

Duo was so tired he barely had the strength to talk. "I'm crashing." He stood up slowly and walked over to a cot that he'd brought up himself. He was asleep before he hit the pillow.

Heero opened his eyes. For a moment he didn't know where he was. He sat up and looked around the room.

It was sparsely furnished. The bed was in a corner next to a nightstand. A desk stood next to it.  A door on the other side of the room was open, revealing a bathroom.

"I'm on the SAM base," he said aloud. 

His memory was strangely fragmented. There were big gaps. But he knew one thing.

The gundam pilots were responsible.

They had done this. He remembered that clearly. That was the only thing he remembered.

Except for Garrett. He remembered Garrett. He remembered those seven years living in a small town in Louisiana. Why were those memories intact?

"How are you feeling, Heero?"

He turned his head towards the voice. "I don't know," he said cautiously. "My brain feels like Swiss cheese."

"That's to be expected after what you've been through."

Heero couldn't see anyone. "What happened?"

"The rebel pilots brainwashed you. You were fighting against us!"

"So what happened?"

"We brought you back here and undid the brainwashing. Unfortunately, much of your memory was lost, as you've told me. We can't do anything about it."

Something didn't feel right. "So what am I to do?"

"Do you want revenge?"

"That's irrelevant," he said, surprising himself.

"How so?"

"Personal feelings should not get in the way during a mission."

"What if the mission was revenge?"

"Revenge is a personal feeling. It should not be acted upon."

"Excellent. We were hoping the gundam pilots hadn't taken that away from you."

Heero wondered at this sudden loss of emotion. His intact memories indicated that he hadn't always been like that. What was going on?

"Are you ready to go back on duty?"

"Yes."

"Then we have a mission for you. Report to the main briefing room on this floor."

Heero dressed in black spandex shorts and a green tank top. He studied himself in the mirror. 

"What's going on?" he asked himself quietly, hoping no one heard.

Garrett waited in the briefing room. His blue eyes studied everything intently, missing nothing. The commander was pleased that his brainwashing was successful.

"Where is he?" Garrett asked coldly.

"Coming," the commander assured him.

The door slid open, and Heero stepped in. "Forgive my lateness. I couldn't find my clothes." He looked every bit the part of the Perfect Soldier of the Eve Wars. 

The commander studied Garrett's reaction closely. There was no sign of recognition on his part.

"What is our mission?" Heero asked.

"While you both were under the gundam pilots' control, they had you living in this world. Do you remember, Heero?"

"Yes."

"We ask that you go back in order to draw the pilots' attention. They'll try to contact you. Go with them. That way, we can track you to their base."

"Is that it?" Garrett looked disappointed. The technicians had made him too bloodthirsty, the commander noted.

"Yes. If this goes well, it will take no more than two weeks. Then we can wipe out the rebellion once and for all."

Heero stared at her stonily. "Very well."

"I'll go, too," Garrett said.

"Good. Report to the armory for weapons, then go to the hangar. We have a shuttle for you."

Garrett left the room without waiting to be dismissed. Heero followed.

Duo was reluctant to give up, but he was forced to. There was no sign of Heero, and the media was starting to notice. Nightly reports were aired about the disappearance of Garrett and Heero.

Quatre turned on the TV. They were just in time for the news.

"Garrett Larson and Heero Yuy have been found. They returned to their own homes after a two-week absence. So far, they refuse to say where they've been. Their parents are declining interviews, but we've gathered that unknown parties for unknown reasons abducted them. The parents have noted severe personality shifts, however. We have no further information, and will report back later when we have."

Duo stared dumbly at the TV for a minute. "Severe personality shifts?"

"They've been brainwashed," Quatre said.

"We've got to undo the programming," Duo said.

Trowa was nowhere to be found. Wufei was playing a Yahoo! Game. "They may try to kill us, for all we know." 

Heero stared at the DVD he'd found in the player. He'd watched it. It confirmed his suspicions. 

He'd been brainwashed.

But he didn't know what was real anymore. He Swiss-cheesed brain couldn't figure everything out. 

He knew one thing though. The gundam pilots could be trusted. Now if only he could convince Garrett.

He looked up at his foster mother as she poked her head into the room. "Garrett is here to see you."

"I don't want to talk to anyone right now."

"Is something wrong?"

Heero laughed mirthlessly. "Everything is wrong. Including my life."

His foster mother looked uncertain. "He insists on speaking to you."

"Tell him to go away or I'll stick a gun in his face."

She withdrew. The DVD player went off, shutting him in darkness. 

He didn't know what to do.

Quat: Yami? Where'd you go?

Heero: I think she killed Kai.

Kai: No such luck.

Quat: Great. That's just like her to make me do her job.

Heero: I'll find her. *leaves*

Kai: I'll be beyblading.

Quat: *sigh* Review while I wring Yami's neck!


	7. Chapter 7

Quat: I found Yami. She's begun working on another fic. *sigh*

Kai: She won't be back? *celebrates*

Heero: Cool.

Quat: Oh, she'll be back. She's just taking a break.

Kai & Heero: Dommage!

Quat: Don't let her hear you say that.

Yami: Too late.

Kai: Oh, crap.

Yami: I'm not gonna kill you. *leaves*

Heero: I want what she's taking.

Quat: *rolls eyes* We don't own anything.

Duo checked his email one last time before they left on their mission. To his surprise, he had a message from one gundam_pilot_zero_one@yahoo.com. 

"Duo, I can't be on long, since I'm being watched. I've been brainwashed by SAM, and so has Garrett. I resisted somehow, don't ask me how. Please, don't come after me. Our mission is to draw SAM forces to your base by allowing ourselves to be captured. I know you are the good guys, though I haven't been able to convince Garrett. I would still like to meet, however. James is taking us to the mall on the weekend to play games. I'll be there. Garrett won't come with, though I suspect he'll be watching me. Keep a low profile, willya? That way, you're not killed. I've got to go. I'm writing from the library computer because they've got a bug in mine.

"I guess the perfect soldier must rise again, ne? Sincerely, Pilot 01."

Duo reread it out loud to the other pilots. "This was sent yesterday. That means he'll be at the mall today, since its Saturday."

"How do you know it isn't a trap?" Quatre asked.

"The mall is a public place, and SAM doesn't want its presence known to the public yet. So if they try something, it has the risk of several hundred eyewitnesses. He's smart." Duo grabbed a small gun and hid it safely away. "I'm going, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." He was out if the room before there could be any protests.

Heero saw Duo before the braided teen saw him. He beat his current game and joined Duo in a racing game.

"I'm glad you came," Heero whispered.

"What happened to you?"

"SAM claims you brainwashed me. I know you're gonna claim they brainwashed me. Which one do you think I believe?"

"Us, hopefully."

"I don't know who to believe. I've decided to give you the benefit of the doubt. I found a DVD in my player that explained a lot of things. Sort of."

Duo related what he knew of Heero's story to him. "We can undo the brainwashing. We can set up at one of Quatre's safe houses. That way, you're not completing your mission."

"To lead SAM to your base. OK. Where is it?"

"Follow me."

Heero left, following Duo out to a car. "When we first thought you were brainwashed, we set up a anti-brainwasher in the nearest safe house," Duo explained. "It's brand-new. Never been tested, either. Guess who's the guinea pig?"

"If it's fatal I'll kill you," Heero muttered under his breath. Duo laughed out loud.

"I'm glad you can still joke. Although, to be honest, you never, ever joked before. It's refreshing."

The ride to New Roads was uneventful, for the most part. They had to take a roundabout route because someone was tailing them.

Quatre was waiting at the door. He led them to the basement, where the other two pilots waited.

The anti-brainwasher was nothing special, just a drug designed to counteract the brainwashing drug used by SAM. 

Heero was connected to an IV and had to wait for the drug to kick in. The other pilots left him alone, although he could hear them upstairs. Duo had pulled a prank and was being chased around by a homicidal Wufei.

_That's just like them_, he thought with a grin. The drug seemed to be working. He was beginning to remember things.

He was outside, a detonator in his had. The enemy stronghold had exploded, but he watched, horror-struck, as a mobile suit fell onto a civilian building, killing everyone inside.

Then he was in space, attacking a deranged pilot 04. Wing Zero turned to face him, and Quatre's maniacal laughter rang in his ears.

Then he was in the Wing Zero, fighting for his life. He could hear Relena telling him to eject, but the controls were stuck. He pounded on them frantically, trying to escape as the gundam fell slowly towards the earth. He passed out, Relena's cry hardly heard.

"HEERO!"

Impact shook him awake. He staggered out of the cockpit, amazed that he was alive. He looked himself over, then recoiled. 

He had turned nine years old.

His head hurt. He sat down on the ground, cradling his head as he waited for the pain to subside. He felt the wound there. He was losing a lot of blood. He wouldn't be alive for long.

He felt the blackness pulling at him, striving to pull him down into it. Lord, his head hurt.

Headlights shocked him out of his reverie. He looked up, seeing a couple coming towards him. He backed up, ready to flee, but his head prevented that.

"George, look! He's hurt. We've got to get him to the hospital!"

"Who are you, young man?"

Heero couldn't hold the blackness at bay any longer. It sucked him in, and he crumpled to the ground without a sound.

He awoke with a start. He'd fallen asleep without meaning to. Duo was dozing next to him. The IV had been removed.

He shook Duo awake. The pilot started, reaching for his gun. "Heero? Are you all right?"

"Yes. Your anti-brainwashing brought back all of my memories. Including the ones about being a gundam pilot." He hesitated. "I don't know how to act anymore. I need to be alone for a while. Thank you for helping me." With that, he vanished up the stairs.

Garrett waited at his house. Heero glared at him, knowing that he was no longer a friend.

"Where were you?" Garrett asked.

"The gundam pilots are smart. They refused to take me to their base. Instead, they took me to a house around here." Heero had decided that he needed to continue to act as if SAM still controlled him.

"Which one?"

"It was abandoned. They've moved out."

"They haven't approached me. Do you know why not?"

"I'm more important to them. I piloted one of their gundams."

"The commander expects a full report."

"Very well." Heero went to his room and collapsed on the bed, utterly exhausted. He'd walked home, and it had taken a few hours. A good night's sleep would do him good. He had school, too.

"I think he's gone over to the other side," Garrett said into the phone he held.

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. He acts differently now."

"I thought as much from the report he filed. Your orders are to eliminate him and the gundam pilots."

"Yes, sir." Garrett hung up the phone. He was gonna enjoy this.

"Hey Heero!"

Heero turned to see Garrett coming towards him. "Hey! What's up?"

He failed to see the gun in Garrett's hand.

"I've got something to tell you." Garrett growled at a group of seventh graders crowding him out of the way. They scattered.

School was winding down. Exams were coming, and Heero was still bogged down with homework.

"What is it?" Heero asked, suddenly wary. He'd been training the past few weeks, ever since the pilots undid his brainwashing, and something was warning him.

The gunshot startled everyone. The courtyard was silent, attention focused on the two in the middle.

Heero glanced down. He'd dodged the bullet by mere millimeters. Garrett was grinning widely, aiming carefully this time. Heero lunged forward, catching the other off balance. The gun went off again. Heero felt pain in his right shoulder, but he ignored it, catching Garret by his right arm and driving him to his knees. He snatched the gun from his hand.

"Traitor!" Garrett hissed. He brought out his other hand. Another gun was there. Heero barely had time to release Garrett before the gun fired, hitting the space where his head had been seconds before. The two faced each other, weapons ready.

"If anyone's the traitor, it's you," Heero said.

"You've betrayed SAM!"

"They brainwashed me. And you! Garrett, don't you remember?"

"No."

Heero was aware of the entire school watching them, of the wound in his shoulder, and of his best friend, pointing the gun at him. They were at a stalemate.

Finally Heero lowered his weapon. "Fine then. Kill me. Get it over with." He threw the gun at Garrett's feet and turned around, head down, fists clenched. 

He heard the weapon fire, but didn't feel any pain. Shocked, he whirled to face Garrett again.

"For resisting me, I get to kill five people," the other said, indicating the person he'd shot. Heero turned to look. 

Another shot rang out, and Garrett hissed in pain as a bullet hit the gun in his hand, sending it flying.

"Nothing gives anyone the right to kill people," Duo said coldly from the parking lot. Deathscythe towered above him. Heero retrieved the guns and tossed them over to Duo. 

"Duo Maxwell. Pilot 02. How nice of you to join us." Garrett straightened and pulled a detonator from his pocket. "Now, unless you surrender, I'll blow up the school campus and everyone on it."

"No you won't." Another gun fired, this time from the direction of the main school building. Heero caught the detonator as it fell, then turned to see who had joined the party.

Quatre had a weapon trained on Garrett. Sandrock was noticeably absent. "Duo, you weren't supposed to bring Deathscythe!"

"Sorry," Duo smirked, not sorry at all.

Heero pulled his gym shirt out of his bag and pressed it to his wound. "Can we get down to business, please?"

Quatre tossed down a pair of handcuffs. Heero cuffed Garrett and led him over to a now-present Trowa.

The police had arrived (their headquarters were right across the street, after all) and were staring at the giant robot in awe. And fear.

"Hey! What's happening over there!?" A policeman called.

A transport settled onto the ground, picking up all the gundam pilots minus Heero. The teen turned to the sheriff.

"The situation is under control. It was just a small grudge."

"We need to get you to the hospital, young man. And you need to answer some questions."

Quat: I'll drag Yami away from her other fic. Soon. Hey, this is kinda nice. 

Kai: No Yami to drive us crazy.

Heero: I thought she'd never leave.

Yami: I need inspiration! Boredom sucks!

Quat, Heero, & Kai: *sweatdrop*

Quat: *sigh* Review, por favor.

Heero: Sil vous plait

Kai: Please!


End file.
